The two cooling towers at Disneyland in which elevated levels of a bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease were located backstage in New Orleans Square, shown here. (File photo by Mark Eades, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

An Orange County Health Care Agency official says Disneyland is one of the places the agency is investigating in Anaheim as a potential source of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened a dozen people who either live in, work in or have visited the city.

There is no ongoing risk to people visiting Disneyland, county health care officials said Saturday, adding that they are trying to find a common exposure source for all of the cases.

Of the 12 people, ages 52 to 94 years of age, with Legionnaires’ disease, eight had visited Disneyland. One worked at the theme park.

One of the 12, who did not visit Disneyland and was described as having additional health issues, died. Two more are Orange County residents and also did not visit the theme park during the exposure period in September.

“As a pattern emerged of cases having visited the Disneyland Park over the same period of time, OC Health Care Agency staff made site visits to the resort properties,” said Jessica Good, a public information manager for the Orange County Health Care Agency, in an email Saturday. “Disney later notified us of disease-causing levels of Legionella bacteria in two of its water towers, focusing our investigation further there.”

Good said the investigation is ongoing and that the agency has conducted site visits along the hotels, motels and businesses along the Harbor Boulevard corridor.

A Disneyland spokeswoman said, “In an abundance of caution, we also implemented additional redundant testing of other cooling towers on our property.”

Cooling towers provide cooled water to chillers that then provide chilled water for various uses in the resort, similar to refrigeration. There is a fan on top of a cooling tower that forces warm, moist air created from the evaporative cooling process into the atmosphere.

Disney’s test results should be in by Nov. 17, the spokeswoman said, adding the findings will be reported to the county immediately.

Disneyland Resort has 18 cooling towers spread among both Anaheim theme parks and the Downtown Disney district. None of the other 16 had tested positive for elevated levels of the bacteria in the previous, routine testing, the spokeswoman said.

Disneyland officials Saturday released a statement from Dr. Pamela Hymel, chief medical officer for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, on the incident to the public on its Disney Parks Blog website.

Hymel reiterated what health care agency officials have previously said — that there is no current concern at Disneyland Resort.

“We are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all who visit or work at our parks and resorts,” Hymel wrote.

The Legionnaires’ disease name came from the first known outbreak of the illness at the Pennsylvania American Legion convention in Philadelphia in 1976. Of the 221 people who contracted the illness at that time, 34 died.

Legionnaires’ disease comes from Legionella bacteria that is naturally found in water, Hymel said.

Outbreaks are usually tied to man-made water systems. People inhale microscopic bacteria in mist or vapor from hot tubs, air conditioners, spas and pools. While most people who are exposed do not become ill, vulnerable persons — those ages 50 and above or who have a weak immune system or other health issues — can develop symptoms similar to pneumonia and can, in rare cases, die, experts say.

The disease is not contagious.

The CDC estimates 6,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported in the United States in 2015. The Orange County Health Care Agency said cases in the county have increased from 33 in 2015 to 53 in 2016 and to 55 in 2017 through October. It provided no reason for the uptick.

The county issued its first health advisory titled “Legionnaire’s disease increase in the Anaheim area” to other local and state health agencies and medical providers on Oct. 27 and posted that information on a health provider advisory portion of its website.

That same day, a Disneyland spokeswoman said, the county notified the resort about the cases.

Prior to learning about the outbreak, a contractor working for Disneyland, as part of routine testing on Oct. 2, found two cooling towers with elevated levels of Legionella bacteria at a backstage area in the park. A couple of days later, the contractor decontaminated the cooling towers.

Disney said it learned of the contractor’s finding a month after the discovery of the cases and informed the county health agency on Nov. 3.

“We are working with our maintenance contractor to determine why the report was not shared earlier,” said the Disneyland spokeswoman. “However, even though the report was not provided to us until Nov. 2, the contractor took the appropriate action to introduce additional chemicals to destroy the bacteria in the operating towers.”

On Tuesday, Disney shut down the cooling towers in the backstage area of New Orleans Square. The resort is working with the health agency on the status of bringing those towers back into service.

Health Care Agency officials said there have been no additional Legionella cases since September.

“There is no known ongoing risk associated with this outbreak,” Good said in a statement.

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